Monday, 22 October 2012

This Christmas Tree decoration is really easy to make. My Nan made one of these for me a few Christmas's back and I really wanted to share this with you.

I hope you like it!

First things first.

You will need:

Green and red felt (or fabric)

26 plastic milk bottle tops

A scrap of card

A pencil and compass

Scissors

Soft toy stuffing

A needle and strong thread

Hot glue gun

and

Buttons and twine for decoration.

Draw a circle measuring approx. 9 cm across, on your scrap of card.

Cut this out, it will be your template.

Using your template, cut 21 discs of green felt

and

5 discs of red felt.

Tie a knot in a length of thread. Using a running stitch, stitch around the edge of one disc.

Keep the needle attached, you will need this to sew in the ends.

Take the first bottle top and fill the middle generously with soft toy stuffing.

Place the filled bottle top upside down in the middle of your disc.

Pull the thread end tightly, to close up the disc around the bottle top.

Sew a few stitches over the opening to make it tight and secure.

Repeat this process with the remaining discs and bottle tops until you have 26 completed "puffs".

You should have 21 green and 5 red.

On a piece of green felt, lay out your puffs using the picture above as your guide.

The discs now need to be glued in place, using your hot glue gun.

Place your glue on the base of one disc and press it firmly into position. Take the next disc and do the same, but as you go, place a little blob of glue on the side of the disc already glued in place, to stick the puffs together as well as to the felt. This will help your finished decoration to be a little more ridged, otherwise it will be all floppy when you pick it up!

Once all the puffs are in place and the glue has cooled.

Cut around the Tree. This is usually easier to do from the back.

(Take care not to cut into your puffs!)

By now you should have your completed tree base.

Now It's time to decorate.

I've used buttons for baubles, secured in place with hot glue.

If you have one, thread a star button onto a length of twine.

This will be your hanger.

Knot the twine securely at the end.

Again, with your hot glue, secure the twine to the top, back of your tree.

Take a scrap of green felt and glue over the twine end.

Now your tree is complete and ready to hang.

I also wrapped a long length of twine around the red base of the tree and tied a bow in the front to finish.

(see first picture)

Advent Idea

This tree uses 26 puffs, but I did think it would make a nice advent calendar. Stitch a pretty design on one disc of green felt and embroider the others with numbers 1 - 25. Make up the puffs and secure together to make your tree. Use a decorative brooch or pin to count down the days.